Walking-stick.



PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.',` G. J. HENNBSSY. f WALKING STICK.'

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 24, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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. d UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFCEFL .i

Patented uga-'c 23,1904. i

,GEOReEa HENNESSY, OE yLONDON.l ENGLAND, ASSIGNOE. To LOHARLES H. rAiNE, 'OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 1

I WALKING-shox.

l SPECIFIQATIN'formin'g part of' Letters Patent No. 768,452, dated Ague 23,19%.q

I Application illed 4March 24,1904. Serial No. 199/771. (No mcdel.)

To (L7/Z whom t may cocern.-

'n Be it known that I, GEORGEJ. HENNESSY, of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in W'alking-Sticks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an adjustable or convertible walking-stick capable of use either as a cane'or a crutch and easily convertible from either form to the other. v The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side view of my improved walking-stick adjusted as a cane.`v F1g. 2 represents a side View of the same Aadjusted as a crutch.rj Fig. 3 represents a section on line 373' of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents' afview similar to Fig.l3, showing the two members of the adjustable stick released from relative adjustment. 5 representsa section on line 5 5 of Fig. l.

Thesame reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.. My improved adjustable walking-stick comprises a base member a and a memberhwhich is movable relatively to the member a, so that the two members ,may be adjusted to form a stick` of minimumxlength adapted to serve as a cane, as shown in Fig. l, and to form. a longer stick adapted to serve as a crutch, as shown in Fig. 2. The base member ais preferably tubular, andthe movable member b is formed to slide in the base member, the twol members forming a telescopic stick. Means are provided forlocking the two members together when the stick is extended, said means being preferably adjustable, so that the members can be locked together to formastick of any desired length or of such length `as may be suitable for the height of the 'person using v the stick as a crutch. rlhe locking means here shown comprise, first, a `series of adjustable jaws 2 at the upper end of the base member Fig. l

and render said Iupper'end contractible. Means I movable member, the preferred means being,

a collar c, formed to embrace/the contractible portion of the base member and adaptedv to exert inward pressure thereon'. TheA collar c'l is preferably internally threaded and engaged with an external thread formed on the contractible portion of the base member, the arrangement being such that when the collar is adjusted in a downward directionit willforce \the jaws 2 inwardly against the movable memf ber b.- The movable member is preferably provided with a plurality of p eripheralshoulders 4, formed to engage the jaws 2,as shownin Fig. 3, and thus firmly support the movl able ,member against downward pressure.l

The movable member is provided at its crutch, the `head, constitutes an arm-rest.

and the `head aa hand-grip. The said heads are formed so that when the stick is contracted to form a, cane the headsvwill coperate in forming a single hand-grip or cane`handle,.as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Preferably one of the heads has a recess 6, Fig. 5,Which receives Ia portion of the other head, the two heads being thus nested, so that they collectively form a hand-grip of convenient'form to be grasped by the user ofthe stick when adj usted as a cane:

yIt will be seen that when the collar c is adjusted to release the jaws 2, as shown in Fig.

4, the said jaws spring outwardly and release the member so that the latter can be moved endwise freely to -swing orv adjust the stick. When the collar c has returned to its operative positiomit presses the jawsviirmly into en,`

gagement with the movable member, thus secui-'ely maintaining the crutch adjustment of the stick.

l do not limit myself to .the details of construction here shown, as the same may be vari` ously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

rlhe means for locking the movable member to the base member afare positive in their action, so that when the movable member is elevated and used as a part of a crutch there will be no possibility of accidental slipping of said member in the base member. It will be seen that this provision for positively locking the two members together is important, as it prevents liability of aserious accident, which might result from the downward slipping of the member b in the base member a.

I claimf' 1. An adjustable walking-stick comprising a base member having a lower head, a movable member slidingly engaged with the base member and having an upper head, the said heads being adapted to meet and form a handgrip, and means forlocking the movable member to the base member to maintain the stick in an extended condition with the upper head in position to serve as an arm-rest and the lower head in position to serve as a hand-grip.

2. An adjustable walking-stick comprising a base member having a lower head, a movable member slidingly engaged with the base member and having an upper head, and means for positively locking the movable member to the base member in different positions, said meanscomprising a series of locking-shoulders on the movable member, adjustable lockingjaws on the base member, and means for holding said adjustable jaws positively engaged with a shoulder on the movable member.

3. A telescopic walking-stick comprising a tubular base member having a contractible upper portion, a member movable in said base member and having a transversely-extending movable in said base member 'massa head at its upper end, a collar movable on the upper portion of the base member to contract the same, and a head supported by said collar and adapted to cooperate with the head on the movablemember in forming a hand-grip when thestick is contracted, the said heads serving respectively as an arm-rest and a hand-grip when the stick is extended.

4. A telescopic walking-stick comprising a tubular base member having an externallythreaded, longitudinally splitupper contractible portion, a member movable in said base member and having a transversely-extending head at its upper end, an internally-threaded collarl, formed to engage said split threaded portion to contract the same, anda head supported by said collar.

5. A telescopic walking-stick comprising a. tubular base member having a contractible upper portion with internal jaws, a member and having a transversely-extending head and a series of peripheral shoulders, and means for contracting the upper portion of the base member to engage ,its jaws with a shoulder` on the movable member.

6. An adjustablewalking-stick comprising a base member having a transversely-extending head, a movable member slidingly engaged with the base member and having also a transversely-extending head, and means for locking the members together when the movable member is extended, one ofsaid heads being recessedl to receive the other head, whereby the headsmay be nested to form a handgrip when the stick is contracted, one of the heads forming an arm-rest and the other a A hand-grip when the stick is extended.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.I

GEORGE J. HENNESSY- Witnesses:

R. WEs'rAcoTT, lALFRED NUTTING. 

